Vanderbilt Football Depth Chart Projection: Linebackers – Sports Illustrated

In this story:
In a season of roster turnover, Vanderbilt football also does have some consistencies on its 2026 roster, especially on the defensive side of the football.
The Commodores have a few veterans on their defense and the linebacker room is a prime example of that. Led by Bryan Longwell, the linebacker room is an extremely important part to how successful Vanderbilt is as a defense and as a team.
Here is Vandy On SI’s projected depth chart of the linebacker room with the two projected starters, players to watch for and the storyline of the room.
Starters: Bryan Longwell and Nick Rinaldi
Next Up: Bryce Cowan
Others to Watch: Jamison Curtis and Austin Howard
Vanderbilt did lose a valuable piece of its linebacker room with Langston Patterson, who was a leader for the room on and off the field. This season, Longwell steps fully into that lead role in the linebacker room and there is no debate about it.
Last season, Longwell tied with safety CJ Heard for the most tackles among all Vanderbilt defenders with 71.
After Longwell, the rest of the linebacker chart should fall in order with the other veterans being the next ones up and guys like Curtis and Howard being the younger linebackers that are up and coming into their role on the team this fall.
“I think it’s growth,” Vanderbilt linebacker coach Nick Lezynski said in the spring about what impressed him about the linebacker room. “It’s Bryan Longwell, Nick Rinaldi and Bryce. Those three guys have taken on leadership roles like they’ve never had before and they’ve done a great job with that.”
Of course, the official starters for the opening game of the season but it should be a surprise to nobody that Longwell is going to be the top starter in the room. With Patterson moving on, that leaves room for a second starter. Vandy On SI projects that Rinaldi will get that spot when the 2026 season begins.
Longwell started all 13 games last season for Vanderbilt. It was the second consecutive season Longwell started in every game. Going into this season, he is primed to show why he is the heartbeat of the Vanderbilt defense this season. 
Longwell brings experience as a senior now, but he feels he has not gotten the credit yet and feels he has more to prove in his fourth season.
“What drives me to this day still–even though I’ve achieved a lot and I’ve made great strides in college football and cemented a name for myself–I still feel like I haven’t done enough. I want to get more,” Longwell told Vandy On SI earlier this summer.
Longwell’s ability and football IQ is what makes him such an impactful playmaker on defense. In the spring, Lezynski recalled how Longwell spent countless hours in his office studying film and applied his film study onto the field each week.
Along with that, Lezynski sees Longwell is leading by example. Longwell is more vocal than he was before and all the other linebackers are following in lockstep.
“We want our program to be a player-run program. It’s guys like Bryan that drive that, where they focus on themselves and do a great job of mastering themselves, but they also give back to the rest of the unit,” Lezynski said.
If Longwell’s fuel to continue to prove himself shows on the field, Vanderbilt may have itself an even more dangerous defensive weapon than it thought.
Rinaldi is one of the more unlikeliest of stories that people see in college football. Rinaldi did not play football until his senior year of high school and walked on at Vanderbilt his freshman year in Nashville. 
Now, Rinaldi has worked his way all the way up to being a player that could absolutely start when Sept. 5 rolls around. Rinaldi has continuously improved throughout his collegiate career. If that trend continues, it feels like Rinaldi should play like a regular starting linebacker.
Rinaldi appeared in all 13 games last season, though he did not start in any of them. In those games, he had 47 total tackles and 3.5 sacks, one pass breakup and one pass defended. Being an impactful second starter in the room will be a challenge, especially replacing a player like Langston Patterson.
But Rinaldi is also a veteran. Rinaldi is heading into his fifth season with the Commodores and has proven to be a player that has poured everything into the program and has had to earn everything he has gotten.
This season, it is time for Rinaldi to go out and show why he is a starter on this season’s roster.
Speaking of veterans, Vandy On SI projects Bryce Cowan to be third in the linebacker room, a player that could prove to be worthy of a starting job if he performs. Cowan played in all 13 games last season, too and finished with 31 tackles along with his three sacks, one pass breakup and one pass defended.
It is not a huge gap between Cowan and Rinaldi, either. If Cowan ends up producing more and making more of an impact as the season goes on, Cowan could jump Rinaldi. For now, Cowan slides into the third spot.
Though he did not walk onto the team like Rinaldi did, Cowan is another player that has worked his way up the linebacker ladder and has come a long way in his playmaking abilities. 
“We were looking at his film from his freshman year practice…he’s come light years from where he was there. And that’s a testament to his hard work,” Lezynski said. “It’s awesome to see him not only know his job and do his job well, but also be able to command the defense and communicate to the rest of the defense and run the show. That was the next step for him, so he’s been able to do that.”
For Cowan to be a No. 3 in the room, Vanderbilt has some real depth and experience amongst its linebackers that should produce good results.
Follow us on Twitter/X, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Threads and Blue Sky for the latest news.
Loading recommendations… Please wait while we load personalized content recommendations
Graham Baakko is a writer for Vanderbilt Commodores On SI, primarily covering football, basketball and baseball. Graham is a recent graduate from the University of Alabama, where he wrote for The Crimson White, WVUA-FM, WVUA 23 as he covered a variety of Crimson Tide sports. He also covered South Carolina athletics as a sportswriting intern for GamecockCentral.
© 2026 ABG-SI LLC – SPORTS ILLUSTRATED IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF ABG-SI LLC. – All Rights Reserved. The content on this site is for entertainment and educational purposes only. Betting and gambling content is intended for individuals 21+ and is based on individual commentators' opinions and not that of Sports Illustrated or its affiliates, licensees and related brands. All picks and predictions are suggestions only and not a guarantee of success or profit. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER.

source